Squat, lunge, pushups, yoga: Apps galore for fitness at home
MIAMI — Don’t want to fight traffic, travelling for work, can’t afford a $30 barre class? Those excuses for missing your workout no longer fly thanks to a host of new fitness apps and online subscriptions.
There’s a website for your every cardio craving from Pilates to bootcamp, some taught by celeb trainers that you likely could never book in person. Bonus: Many of the sites are free or cost far less than a monthly gym fee.
Want it gym- style?
Crunch Live includes many of the workouts that earned the brand a devoted following and have been retired from their brick and mortar gyms. Thankfully, fans of gospel house aerobics and urban attitude dance classes can get their sweat on in these online classes for $9.99 US a month. They also offer more than 75 classes including barre, yoga and strength training, in addition to their killer cardio. And yes, their popular belly, but and thigh bootcamp and ab attack are in there, too.
LiveStreaming Fitness offers live workouts and even live cooking classes for about $10 a month, including everything from yoga to kickboxing to workouts performed at your desk. If you can’t make a live class, the subscription includes a catalogue of healthy recipes to revamp your takeout night and an extensive collection of classes.
EMG Live Fitness focuses on specialty workouts like piloxing (that’s Pilates and boxing), plyojam, bosu ball, Yollet (yoga and ballet) for just $2 a class or $20 a month for unlimited classes.
The handy two-minute clip gives you a preview before you buy.
Choose from about 20 different workout styles, with tons of classes under each category plus options to join a live class or stream one on-demand.
If you love barre and yoga
At about $10 a month, Barre3, inspired by ballet, yoga and Pilates, offers the choice of 200 online classes. Each workout tells what body parts you’re targeting and whether you’ll need equipment like a chair, resistance bands or small weights, and offers a short preview.
With 3,000 online classes that include everything from Hatha to Ashtanga, YogaGlo has something for first timers and advanced yogis. Choose from sessions based on time and difficulty rating. You can also choose whether you want a class just for the sweat factor or one that is more meditative for $18 a month. There’s even a collection of classes that focus on cultivating your intuition, rebooting your brain and releasing stress at work.
Want to follow the popular kids?
Sweat with Kayla has amassed legions of loyal #BBG girls (that’s bikini body guide) posting photo results and encouraging each other through the grueling 28minute sessions that include cardio and strength training.
The 24-year-old Australian trainer, who recently launched her $20-a-month app based on the 12-week Bikini Body Guide, is known for her inspiring Instagram pics and some killer squat, lung, box jump sequences.
Daily Burn — $12.95 a month — includes every workout style imaginable (from kettlebells to yoga to interval training) for every fitness level with series that will challenge even the most hardcore athletes. Celeb trainer Bob Harper’s subscription also includes a meal plan with daily recipes.
The popular seven-minute workout challenge is basic but gets the job done with 12 exercises performed for 30 seconds with 10 seconds rest. The $3 app is based on workouts that promote exercising for shorter, more intense bursts to achieve better results. The moves are broken down with video, audio and text explanations and include fun features to unlock rewards when
you reach your goals.
Want it for free?
Fitness Blender includes everything from high intensity and fat loss workouts to stretching and low-impact days. They even break it down for you with a handy difficulty rating and estimated number of calories you’ll burn.
Fitness Blender also has builtin water breaks and a countdown clock so you know exactly how many more seconds of grueling tricep dip kicks you’ll have to endure.
BeFit lets you work out with some of the biggest celebrity trainers for free. The YouTube channel features workouts by Jillian Michaels and Denise Austin to yogis like Kino MacGregor and Tara Stiles with tons of different exercises to get you bikini ready. BeFit also has a free mobile series with circuit workouts you perfect for when you’re on the go.
Want to train like a celebrity?
Gwyneth Paltrow liked the results so much she went into business with her trainer Tracy Anderson.
Her $90-a-month subscription allows you to work out with Anderson during a live weekly class along with a breakdown of the moves from a senior trainer plus a dance cardio session and a beginner class, which are all updated weekly.
Kelly Ripa has made no secret of her obsession with Anna Kaiser’s dance cardio workouts. Kaiser’s $50-a-month streaming series offers 10-minute targeted workouts that can be pieced together to fit your needs using everything from weights, resistance bands and physio balls.
If you want to be part of Taylor Swift’s tribe, Ballet Beautiful is a good place to start. Creator and former New York City Ballet dancer Mary Helen Bowers offers a $40 monthly subscription, which includes over 100 workouts or the chance to stream classes, like the ultimate supermodel workout, at your leisure for about $13 each.
MIAMI — There’s no reason to set foot in a gym thanks to hundreds of new fitness apps and online workouts, but choosing one can be overwhelming. We asked sports medicine doctors for help finding the one that’s best for you.
PERSONALIZE IT
Look for programs that offer personalized screenings and gather details on your past injuries, health conditions and fitness goals.
“There’s a lot of cookie-cutter apps out there and people that just want to get your monthly subscriptions, and they’re really not concerned about helping you reach your goals or, more importantly, if any of these movements are going to injure you,” said David Alexander, who’s trained LeBron James and Dwyane Wade and owns DB Fitness in Miami.
“It’s beneficial if you can find an app out there or an online program where you’re having conversations via email, phone, or face time with the trainer that can help make sure you’re doing the exercises correctly.”
Some apps offer daily or weekly check-ins with trainers and a few offer real-time feedback. While those are more costly, you can also pop into a live class in your area to get some pointers so if you’re a new yogi starting at home with an online subscription, it’s important to take a class a couple times a month to have someone check your form.
HAVE FUN
It doesn’t matter whether all the supermodels are doing barre classes if the thought of it totally bores you. Find something you love because you’re much more likely to stick with it.
“It’s pretty well known that the novelty of these things wears off within several months,” said Dr. Daniel Vigil, a UCLA Health doctor who has served as the USA team physician for several international competitions, including the World Cup.
It doesn’t have to be super high intensity and it doesn’t have to be the ‘it’ workout. Movement is movement.
“Find the device that truly is the most appealing to you, something that looks good to your eye and makes you have that visceral response, that’s what going to make you use it and keep you curious and keep it entertaining.”
DON’T BE AFRAID TO MODIFY
High-intensity interval training can offer mega results, but if you’re just starting out and have never done sumo squats with a kettlebell, make sure to tailor the program to your needs. That means if an exercise comes onscreen that irritates an old knee injury, take a rest, modify it or replace it with a move that works for you.
“That’s where I can get a little worried about some of the apps is that folks might be compromising form just to get some of the moves done ... don’t stretch to pain,” said Dr. Jeff Mayer, who specializes in sports medicine and has worked with the Baltimore Ravens. “When you’re compromising form and you’re compromising the integrity of the exercise you open yourself up for an increased chance for injury and we see that all the time.”
Don’t be afraid to do fewer repetitions at first and work your way up. Five reps with proper form are far more effective than 10 done incorrectly.
GIVE IT A REST
While your Instagram feed may be full of #fitspo (that’s fitness inspiration), it’s important to pick an app that includes rest days to avoid injury and physical and mental burnout.
“You want to find something that gives you three workout days and one recovery day, whether it’s a yoga day, a stretch day, a Pilates day. Find something that’s not high intensity every day while you’re building your foundation,” said Alexander.
MIX IT UP
You’ve heard it before, but it’s worth repeating. Cross training is key not just to avoid injury but to keep your muscles from plateauing. It’s all about muscle confusion so if you’re a die-hard yogi or barre lover, find an app to help you add in some higher intensity interval training.
“It may be a combo of these apps would be best ... it goes back to what’s your main goal? Is it to get better cardiovascular fitness, is it to get more flexible, is it to get stronger,” said Mayer.